My New Blog

Many that travel to the Orlando area wonder "where and what" exactly is Davenport?  This tiny town has gotten much recognition in the past few years due to to much development west of Disney World.  The city of Davenport's original name was Horse Creek (which is an actual creek that currently runs through the community of Ridgewood Lakes).  But there's no real data about how or why the name was changed and where it came from. One source says it was named after a fort that was north of Davenport and another says it was named after a conductor on a train that came through Davenport. 

The Davenport Historical Museum is currently housed in Davenport City Hall.  The museum, formerly the fire hall, has a 1927 LaFrance fire truck as its centerpiece.  Other exhibits are everything from the area, including the mill stones from Horse Creek.  There are also pictures of the passenger trains that stopped in Davenport and picked up the mail. 

The city was incorporated as the town of  Davenport in 1915, but as early as 1885, people had come to live in the area.  There was a hotel and a major 18-hole golf course in 1920 before the Great Depression.  The town was originally created to accomodate 30,000 people, but currently the "actual" population of Davenport is only 2,750.  However, today there are many zip codes and communities that run along Hwy. 27 that are included as the town of Davenport.  From the time you cross over into Polk County from Hwy. 192 until going south into Haines City, you are considered "in Davenport."  What was once a tiny little dot on the map has now incorporated the massive growth that began in the late 1990's. 

Davenport is becoming well known to tourists and visitors of all kinds.  In a country setting, close to the city, all of the services and amenities that were once missing from this area are now appearing:  medical facilities, shopping complexes, attractions, restaurants, hotels, golf courses, various entertainment and commercial growth - all of which make the Davenport area an excellent choice to live or own a home.  With Disney World on its doorstep, both coasts only an hour away, two major airports close by, and major highways within minutes, Davenport has become the "diva" of Central Florida.